Lizzie Mcguire
by Writerblocks
Summary: The story tells about how Lizzie became good friends with Miranda and Gordo and the story marks the beginning of the adventure the trio face in Hillridge Junior High.
1. First day in Junior High

My name is Lizzie Mcguire. Welcome to my life. My new life! Tomorrow marks the start of the birth of my brand new life. I am officially a teenager and that means I have entered the 'cool' era. No more braces, no more packed lunch from mom, no more clothes that mom bought from the bargain basement, no more curfews! Say hello to spending time with cool kids at the Digital Bean, shopping at the Mall and of course, a cool kid for a boyfriend!

This is so awesome! I cannot wait to start my life at Hillridge Junior High! I am thirteen and tomorrow is going to be the first day I will be attending Junior High. I cannot wait to start life afresh. I am going to win the popularity contest at school. Everyone wants to be popular, but no one wants it more than me. I had the most horrible time at elementary school. I was ugly and fat, I had braces, and I have my fair share of clumsy moments that led me to embarrassment at school. However, everything is going to change now. And to welcome the new phase of my life, I bugged my mother to fund my makeover project. However, my mom, being my mom, believed that I should work hard and earn for what I want. How I hate hearing those words. That is the reason why I spent my long summer vacation at Sally's bakery to earn the pocket money for me to get a makeover. With the money I earned at Sally's, I got myself a new, chic hairstyle with bangs and curls. These are the 'in' trends now, with all of Seventeen Magazine's models carrying these hairstyles. Also, I managed to get myself some new skin-tight, printed jeans, and the coolest spaghetti tops at the Style Shack, which are also vouched for by Seventeen for being the 'must have' this season. I would not have been able to get myself all these just depending on my wages from Sally's. I also had extra cash when the family went to visit Grandpa for Thanksgiving. I really love Grandpa. And with the makeover, I am pretty sure I am all ready for school tomorrow. I want to enjoy the company of the coolest kid in school and maybe, even get to date the cutest guy at Hillridge. So exciting!

"Have you packed your things for school tomorrow?" My train of thoughts is suddenly interrupted by my mom's inquire when she enters my room.

"Is everything all right? Are you nervous for the first day of school tomorrow?" My mom asks out of concern.

"Yes mom, you don't have to care about me, I am thirteen already." "My baby girl has grown up." My mom laughed, stroking my head with her palm.

She gets up from my bed and says while closing the door after her, "Now turn in early, you have school tomorrow."

The next day, I walk down the staircase in my brand new spaghetti top and jeans, with my bangs hanging down over my forehead the way I want it to.

"Wow, my daughter is looking cool," My dad smiles, as I reach over for the cereal box on the breakfast table.

"Thanks Dad!" I reply, feeling happy for his compliment. I will be the popular kid in Hillridge Junior High, I say to myself.

"Riiiinnnnnggggg" goes the first bell which prompts us to head to our homeroom. As I enter class C at the end of the hallway, my eyes study the students in class to decide where I should sit as this could be the ticket to being popular. Not the geek in glasses, not the punk girl with tattoos and piercings, chewing on gum, and definitely not the kid with curly hair wearing an old school outer wear, the kind that my dad will wear. If I am going to be popular, I have to be strategic about the people I hang out with. My eyes finally settled on a girl with long, blonde hair, embellished with a ribbon on the side. She is slim, well-dressed and actually look above average pretty. I figure she is someone I can hang out with so that I can be cool. I take the seat next to hers.

She turned to smile at me with a proffered handshake, "Hi, I am Kate Sanders, what is your name?"

I return her handshake," my name is Elizabeth Mcguire, you can call me Lizzie. Let us be friends," I smile my sweetest smile, hoping that I sound friendly and that Kate would not sense the nervousness that I am trying to mask.

"Yes, that would be great," She said enthusiastically, "and by the way, nice bangs."

Alright, the start of Junior High School is definitely going well so far. My makeover is paying off.

"Go back to your seats everyone!" bellowed a loud, authoritative voice emanating from an old bespectacled lady. "I am Mrs Trimmer, your homeroom teacher. Welcome to Hillridge Junior High and I hope that you are getting to know your classmates, because there is going to be a group project where you would be given the opportunity to work with your classmates." I can hear moans and groans spread around the class. Great, just when I thought the morning is going fine, there has got to be something to ruin it.

"The project would be done in pairs, and you would have to share your holiday experiences with your partner, compare and discuss what you are able to learn from each other's different experiences. On top of that, as a team discuss what are some of the things you want to gain out of Junior High." Mrs Trimmer instructed as the second bell rings to signal the end of the first period.

"Let's be partners, I am sure it would be great fun!" Kate says to me.

"Cool, so my place after school?" I ask, with my thumbs up.

"Cool, see you after school." Kate says as she hurries down the hallway to her next class.


	2. Nothing has changed

"Do you girls want anything to drink? Or something to munch on? There's Peanut Butter and Pretzels in the kitchen. Help yourselves should you need a break. Oh there is also Hello Panda, it is Lizzie's favorite" Mom offers my new friend, a little more enthusiastically than usual.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Mrs Mcguire," Kate replies, "but I think we are good here."

"Yes mom, we will help ourselves should we need anything." I reply, trying to sound as cool and as independent as can be, abashed at my mother's noticeable interest in my new friend.

"Alright girls, I will be heading for grocery, have fun!" Mom takes the car key and head for the door.

Kate and I take our school bags and go up the stairs to my bedroom to work on our project.

"Hey Lizzie, I am going to try out for Cheerleading later after this project, how cool is that?"

A cheerleader for a friend, wow, I am going to be so popular just by sticking around Kate.

"That is just so cool, all the best for your tryout later." I grin from ear to ear.

"So what activity clubs would you be joining?" Kate asks me?

Well, that question stumps me. I have not seriously considered what clubs to join. However, if I were to be popular, I need to join a prominent club, and I have to be strategic about it. No Math Club, no Science Club and any other clubs that spelt nerd all over, no dorky clubs. It needs to be cool.

"I haven't thought about it yet." I reply her with a shrug.

So we start doing our project and get to know about what each other had done during the holidays. Kate went to Las Vegas with her older cousin and her cousin's boyfriend without adult supervision following my mom's definition because Kate's cousin wasn't even nineteen! How cool is that? And they even attended U2 World Concert. This is something my mom would definitely disapprove of.

"Speaking of rock concerts, Linkin Park is coming to town next week, it would be fun if we could go see it together." Kate suggests expectantly.

"I really want to go see it but…I need to ask my mom for permission first." I say softly.

"Ok, I really hope that we can go together," Kate winks at me, "I shall be heading for tryouts now, wish me luck!" Kate chirps as she picks up her bag to leave.

Later in the evening, over dinner with the family, I ask my mom about the concert.

"Would there be a chaperone?" inquires mom as she peers at me above the rim of her spectacles that are propped up by her nose bridge. I know in my heart what the outcome of this negotiation would be.

"No.." I say finally.

"Then I guess my answer would be a no because it is too dangerous for two young girls to attend a rock concert without any adult supervision.

"But mom, I am thirteen already, besides we will go back home as soon as the concert is over, please mom."

"Ok, on one condition, I shall accompany the both of you to the concert."

"But mom, it is a rock concert, there will only be young and cool kids," I protest, "no other mom would follow her daughter to a rock concert." I protest.

"Then, I guess the deal is off." Mom replies curtly.

"Mom, I am already thirteen, quit trying to control my life mom. This is so unfair, why do other moms give their daughters so much freedom, while my mom is controlling me like a child?" I shout across the table angrily, and get up and run up the stairs to cry in my bedroom.

I pick up the telephone and dial Kate's number.

"Hello, may I know who is on the line?" a voice asks.

"Kate, is that you?"

"Hey Lizzie, guess what? I made it through for the tryouts! I am going to be a cheerleader!" Kate shrieks in delight.

"That is good to know," I reply trying to sound happy, "I got bad news though. About the concert, I can't go because my mom would not let me."

"Oh, that is too bad Lizzie, guess you would miss out on all the fun." "Anyway, I've got to go now, got a midnight movie to catch with some of the cheerleaders I met today, see you at school." The line goes dead.

Why is everyone enjoying their life while I am sulking here alone? It is supposed to be a brand new life for me, yet nothing has changed. My mom is still being so protective over me and I cannot stand it anymore! Nothing has changed! I am a teen but I still feel like a child. I can't wait to grow up and be an adult. That way, I will be able to do anything I want to without being controlled by mom. I hide my face in the pillow as tears roll down my cheeks.

"Honey, you did not finish your dinner, so I brought you a cup of your favorite cocoa." My mom walks into my room with a mug in her hand. I continue to lie in bed, pretending to be asleep.

My mom sits on the edge of my bed and says, "I did what I did because mummy cares for you."

I continue to lie still, not wanting to talk to my mom. Then, mom sighs and walks out of the room, but not before she places the mug of cocoa on my table.


	3. Painful betrayal

During lunch the next day, after I pick up my tomato omelet from the counter at the cafeteria, I try to find Kate at the same table we sat yesterday but she is not there. In her place is the kid with the curly hair that I saw on my first day at school whose name I cannot remember. My eyes continue to scan across the entire cafeteria, searching for Kate and I finally catch sight of her seating at the center of the cafeteria, with a group of other girls. The girls in Kate's company are slim and have toned bodies. They are talking and laughing hysterically to themselves. Great, Kate must have made new friends, and I hope that she would introduce me to them. I walk over to the table at the center and pull back the empty seat. I can see the horrors in their faces as they stare at me in disbelief.

"Erm..who are you?" asks one of the girls finally.

I look to Kate, thinking that she will introduce me as her friend, but she just looks down at her food. I can tell that she is trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Hi, I am Kate's friend. My name is Elizabeth Mcguire. You can call me Lizzie. I hope I can have lunch with you guys."

The girls begin laughing hysterically and I wonder what I said wrong.

The same girl turns to me and says, "Well Frizzie, this is the 'Cheerleaders Only' table, so move away and be gone!" She turns to Kate, expecting a response from her.

"Yes, you should sit with other people instead of us, because we are too cool for a baby like you! We are going to Linkin Park's concert together while you will be staying at home watching Disney Channel with mommy." Kate taunts.

"Yeah, nice one Kate!" laugh the other girls.

I try very hard to control my tears from gushing out. I stand up as fast as I can and run out of the cafeteria to hide in the girls' lavatory. I choose the cubicle at the corner and cry my heart out.

"It's not worth crying so hard over those people you know." A voice emanated from the cubicle next to mine.

"I just feel so..so.. stupid…and betrayed!" I manage to stammer in between sobs.

"Come out once you are done, we will do lunch together maybe?" the voice says softly.

Whoever it is next to my cubicle, I am grateful for the kindness and comfort she is giving me. Her words brought a sense of warmth to my heart and I just feel that I have to go out to see her and to thank her for her comfort when I really need it. As such, even though I have not cried my heart out, I fumble for the door lock and unlock the cubicle door, to see a girl with thick bangs and her hair tied up in a ponytail, looking comfortingly at me. There is something about her huge dark eyes which look so kind and cheerful that they draw me to her instantly and make me want to open up to her. I do not say a word but just cry in front of her as she places her arms around my shoulders.

"My name is Miranda. Let's do lunch together shall we? I believe that you hardly ate anything just now." Miranda says after my sobs have subdued.

I smile and let her lead me by the hands into the cafeteria.

"Let me introduce my friend to you!" Miranda smiles as she gestures towards the boy with the curly hair.

"Hi, my name is Gordon. Call me Gordo!" He smiles, offering a handshake.

"I am Elizabeth, call me Lizzie!" I return his handshake.

For the next one hour, the three of us have a good time talking to each other, sharing about everything under the sun. It is funny how we can feel so comfortable with each other when we have only met. And what is even funnier is that, I miss these good people just for the pursuit of so-called popularity. So what if I am popular? What is so good about being popular when I am all alone? Now, I am happy just being me. And I have gain affinity with precious people who are with me when I need them the most. I guess I can safely call them as friends.

"That's not funny Gordo!" Miranda said, punching him in his shoulders. And all of us laugh.

I ask them, "Hey guys, want to come over to my place tonight? There's peanut butter, pretzels and Hello Panda!"

"I just love the smell of these treats, count me in." Gordo replies.

"Me too, and I will be bringing my mom's homemade chocolate cupcakes, they are so nice the chocolate will melt in your mouth." Miranda smiles her sweet smile.

And the three of us walk together down the hallway to our next class.


End file.
